The UFC’s return to Jacksonville will be in front of a ‘packed house’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UFC 261 will be held in Jacksonville on Saturday, April 24, with a packed house, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White announced Monday.

This marks one of the first events to allow a full-capacity crowd since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with 15,000 fans packed into the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

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White also broke the news on Monday that the fight card will include a rematch: Kamaru Usman versus Jorge Masvidal.

Usman will fight to defend his welterweight championship title he took in July 2020 after defeating Masvidal.

Masvidal jumped in to fight on a six-day notice after the original contender Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19.

The other title fights on the UFC 261 card will also include Weili Zhang versus Rose Namajunas, as well as Valentina Shevchenko versus Jessica Andrade.

Mayor Lenny Curry chimed in on Twitter about the upcoming event and stated, “Florida is poised to safely host signature sporting events watched globally.”

The last full-capacity event for the mixed martial arts company was UFC 248, which took place on March 7, 2020.

The next fight, UFC 249, was in Jacksonville, May 9, without fans.

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That fight claimed its own title as one of the first live major sporting events during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the UFC, tickets for the upcoming fight will go on sale soon.

Cox Media Group